Collaboration created by the price of participation.
Scientific collaboration is a challenging proposition, most scientists would agree that collaboration is a key component in problem solving, but few practice it beyond their immediate research group, as their careers are dependent on publishing. As a result, they...
What next for the Woolies/Coles stoush.
Woolworths and Coles price and promotion strategies are often shaped by what happens in the UK, as there is a history of successful imitation in Australia. The resurgence of Coles has taken the initiative from Woolworths, and the short term outcome has been price...
“Unlearning”
Most acknowledge that the future will be different from the past, so why is it that we seem determined to manage our way to the future by repeating the recipes of success from the past. Future success relies on doing things differently, and this is uncomfortable,...
Meeting conduct.
The conduct of meetings, whether they be the AGM of a major company, or the committee of the local raffle group should run by the same basic set of rules, worked out over a long period to ensure that a meeting comes to a conclusion at the end of a comprehensive "due...
Business planning rethought
Writing a business plan is usually a priority in business, some do it well, some do it poorly, but what most do not do is write a business plan that evolves. Effective business planning considers the long term context in which the business operates, and how the...
Innovation, does yours make it?
Every product manager I have ever seen sees his/her pack change, flavor extension, or new size as an innovation, and every marketing manager who lets this mediocre stuff take up valuable time, the only resource that is really irreplaceable, is culpable. Sometimes,...
Electronic double edged sword.
The electronic revolution in all its guises is a paradox, and a huge challenge to any management group, and individual who seeks to make a mark. On one hand, the advances in the capacity to process, store and transmit data is ravaging 20th century business models, on...
Error recovery, not error avoidance
The core skill of a successful innovator is their ability to recover from disappointment and failure, to learn from it, and go again, to embrace and recover fom error, not avoid it. As Steve Jobs Pixar's founder said, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can...
Avoid Brand Depreciation
A consumers relationship with a brand is a bit like a friendship, if it is strong, you will be prepared to put up with a bit of nonsense and still be friends, if it is weak, you may not be. If the poor behaviour continues, it will normally be the end of the "brand...
Profit, purpose, and motivation.
It seems that the carrot and stick approach will work less in the future than it has in the past. Science is demonstrating that for tasks that require even a modest amount of cogitative skill, paying more for the task actually reduces performance. Again, the higher...